Public Graduate Good 66/100

Georgia Southwestern State University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Americus, Georgia

About Georgia Southwestern State University

Thinking about Georgia Southwestern State University, a college in Georgia where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Georgia Southwestern State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Americus, Georgia. It enrolls 2,424 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
75.2%
Graduation
43.6%
Net Price
$12,019
Median Earnings (10yr)
$48,757
Enrollment
2,424
Student : Faculty
18:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
66/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 13
Value 84
Affordability 81
Selectivity 33

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Georgia Southwestern State University admits 75.2% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
75.2%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
890 – 1110
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
16 – 22
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Georgia Southwestern State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 18.8 pts since 2019
58.3%201973.4%202085.6%202173.2%202277.2%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $12,019 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$12,019
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
43%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
37%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$5,220
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$16,572
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,850
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,500
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,390
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,390
Total Cost of Attendance
$20,484

Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $10,477
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $10,935
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $13,508
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $16,373
  • Over $110,000
    $15,415

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,750
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$18,851
Median percentile
$23,500
75% percentile
$33,093
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $12,300 ↓ $6,551
No Pell $8,750 ↓ $10,101
Dependent students $11,000 ↓ $7,851
Independent students $11,227 ↓ $7,624
Female students $11,000 ↓ $7,851
Male students $10,500 ↓ $8,351
Pell recipients: 19.0% (3,579 students)No Pell: 13.5% (2,546 students)Dependent students: 17.0% (3,201 students)Independent students: 17.3% (3,267 students)Female students: 17.0% (3,201 students)Male students: 16.2% (3,056 students)Overall Median$18,851
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,500, less than completers ($18,851), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

44% of students who start here finish within six years, and 61% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
44%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
61%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $48,757 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$48,757
Earning > $25K
78%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$41,000$43,000$45,000$48,000$50,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,100

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$47,700

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$35,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$42,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$45,900

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,600, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 20.8 pts across 6 years
55.4%1yr57.6%3yr65.8%5yr76.2%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 76% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,424 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 35% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
2,424
Part-Time
26%
First-Generation
35%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 53.7% 1,302
Black 35.2% 853
Hispanic 4.5% 108
Other 3.7% 89
International 1.4% 33
Asian 1.2% 28
White: 53.7% (1,302 students)Black: 35.2% (853 students)Hispanic: 4.5% (108 students)Other: 3.7% (89 students)International: 1.4% (33 students)Asian: 1.2% (28 students)Total2,424

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Georgia Southwestern State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Distant Americus, Georgia
Housing
Partly residential 952 beds available
Adult Learners
23% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Georgia Southwestern State University offers a varied set of programs: 33 distinct programs across 16 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

5 Programs
3 Programs
3 Programs
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$7,970
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$37M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,571
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

121 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 41 34% $80,810
Associate Professors 22 18% $80,944
Assistant Professors 22 18% $72,197
Instructors 2 2% $46,750
Lecturers 33 27% $62,367
No Rank 1 1% $70,875

Pros & Cons of Georgia Southwestern State University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Georgia Southwestern State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
Best for: Based on the data, Georgia Southwestern State University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Georgia Southwestern State University

The questions families ask most about Georgia Southwestern State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Georgia Southwestern State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Georgia Southwestern State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 75.2%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Georgia Southwestern State University?
75.2% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Georgia Southwestern State University?
Aim for 1110 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 890 and 1110 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Georgia Southwestern State University?
Aim for 22 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 16 and 22 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Georgia Southwestern State University cost?
Budget around $12,019 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Georgia Southwestern State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $48,757 a year against a net price of $12,019, about 4.1 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Georgia Southwestern State University known for?
Mostly Teacher Education (K-12), Teacher Education (K-12), Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Georgia Southwestern State University graduates earn?
About $48,757 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Georgia Southwestern State University accredited?
Yes. Georgia Southwestern State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Georgia Southwestern State University?
2,424 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Georgia Southwestern State University?
44% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Georgia Southwestern State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Georgia Southwestern State University located?
Georgia Southwestern State University is located in Americus, Georgia.
What programs does Georgia Southwestern State University offer?
33 different programs, most commonly Teacher Education (K-12), Teacher Education (K-12), Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Georgia Southwestern State University?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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